By 12 Months – Speech and Language development

By 12 months

One of the most common questions we hear is, “Is my child developing normally?” (or something to that effect). It’s important to remember that between the ages of 12-24 months there is some room to move in terms of what is considered “normal”. For example, some children by the age of 12 months will have multiple first words, while others may not start using words until a couple of months later. While there is a relatively large span of what is considered “normal”, children generally develop within certain timeframes, and there are things you should be on the lookout for.

Below is a table that outlines some of the language and play skills a child should be developing by the age of 12 months. Below the table are some ‘red flags’ to be wary of!

Receptive Language (Understanding)

Expressive Language(Talking)

Responds to human voices without visual cues by turning his/her head and eyes

Responds to his/her name

Responds appropriately to friendly and angry tones

Recognizes the names of common objects and phrases (e.g. bye bye, dog, shoe).

About Jenna Butterworth

Jenna Butterworth is a Speech Pathologist who sees both children and adults. She has experience from a spectrum of clinical environments including teaching hospitals, community and private practice.

Jenna is committed to providing evidence-based interventions for children and adults alike, tailoring therapy to each client’s individual needs. Her clinical experience enables her to provide comprehensive one-on-one, group and school program interventions. Jenna creates and sources a wide variety of tools and resources for clients and families to use in order to maximize communication potential.